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NOTALLMALAYALEESAREBEEFEATERS

Ever since BJP came to power 4 years back Beef as a delicacy has become a contentious issue. Kerala is often thrown as a counter punch against the sanghis by all the so called free thinkers as a haven for beef eaters. It has reached such a proportion that a non beef eating malayali is now getting automatically identified as a BJP sympathiser. The food habits of keralites are a bit complexed to be categorised into well defined brackets. Though over 90% of us are non vegetarians , vegetarian hotels are one of the most lucrative businesses in the state. It is true that beef is served at every nook and cranny of the state , a significant number of Hindus from all castes refrain from consuming it due to religious reasons. In a state where Hindus make up just over 54% that could come to somewhere near 30%. Though a relatively large percentage of Hindu men consume it with the traditional toddy , women rarely make it a part of their diet. Kerala is a highly religious society , Hindu tenants do hold sway especially at the household level . Hence the percentage of non beef cooking households could go up to around 45 percent.

Culinary choices are personal preferences hence eating beef is not a crime and the atrocities being perpetuated in its name is shameful. But forcing beef on others just to prove ones secular credentials is equally deplorable.